OPTIMIZATION MODELING OF A NEW FACILITY FOR THE CALIFORNIA STATE WATER PROJECT1

ABSTRACT: A non-linear optimization model is applied to the California State Water Project (SWP) and portions of the Central Valley Project (CVP). The model accounts for the major hydrologic, regulatory, and operational features of both projects. The model maximizes long-term SWP yields over a 70-year period, using a quarterly time step. The potential for increased yield associated with a proposed facility improvement is evaluated with the model. The proposed facility is an extension of the Folsom-South Canal, which would allow water to be conveyed from the American River below Folsom Reservoir into New Melones Reservoir on the Stanislaus River or into the California Aqueduct. Model results indicate that extension of the Folsom-South Canal has the potential to increase SWP yields by 13 percent.     

WASTE LOADINGS FROM A FRESHWATER ATLANTIC SALMON FARM IN SCOTLAND1

ABSTRACT: Recent studies suggest that waste generation from the freshwater phase of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) production varies considerably on an annual basis. A fish farm on the West Coast of Scotland was visited regularly during a two-year period to determine inflow and outflow water quality. Waste output budgets of suspended solids (SS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total ammonia nitrogen (TAN = NH₃+NH₄⁺), dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) and total phosphorus (TP) were produced. The annual waste loadings obtained were 71 kg TN t fish^?1 yr^?1 (one year of data only), 10.9–11.1 kg TP t fish^?1 yr^?1, 1.2–2.1 kg DRP t fish^?1 yr^?1, 422–485 kg BOD₅ t fish^?1 yr^?1, 327–337 kg SS t fish^?1 yr^?1, and 30–35 kg TAN-N t fish^?1 yr^?1. Simple linear regression models relating waste parameter production to water temperature and feeding regime were developed. When compared to existing data for other salmonid production systems, greater ranges of daily waste loadings were observed. Wide variations in concentrations of these parameters during a daily cycle were also observed, suggesting that mass balance estimates of waste production will provide more robust estimates of waste output than frequent monitoring of outflow water quality.     

Starch- polyvinyl alcohol crosslinked film— performance and biodegradation

Starch-PVOH cast films were prepared with and without crosslinking agent (hexamethoxymethylmelamine) in the absence of plasticizer. Moisture absorption in films without crosslinking agent at a low relative humidity was similar to that of PVOH and increased as the relative humidity increased. Films with crosslinking agent showed moisture absorption linearly proportional to the relative humidity. Significant improvement in resistance to water disintegration for crosslinked starch-PVOH films was observed. While the tensile strength decreased with increased relative humidity, crosslinking significantly improved the tensile strength. Increased PVOH content improved elongation of films even when the relative humidity was 80% or higher. Biodegradation studies revealed that the degradation rate was negatively correlated with the PVOH content in films and crosslinking generated more converged degradation curves. Names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the name by USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable.     

Laboratory scale studies on gaseous emissions generated by the incineration of an artificial automotive shredder residue presenting a critical composition

Car manufacturers must eliminate automotive shredder residues (ASR). Two ways of incineration are of interest: at 850°C in municipal waste incinerators or at higher temperatures, above 1100°C in cement plants. These processes reduce the mass and the volume of waste to be disposed of in landfills and energy recovery might be possible. Regulations govern the emission of gaseous effluents to control environmental risk. To determine gaseous effluents from a pilot sacle or an industrial incineration plant, an artificial ASR was made by mixing three representative organic polymers present in the real ASR, namely polyvinylchloride, polyurethane and rubber. This mixture was incinerated at 850 and 1100°C in laboratory experiments and the analyses of the principal gaseous effluents such as carbon oxides, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, hydrochloric and hydrocyanic acids and sulphur compounds are presented and discussed. Lastly, in order to simulate artificial ASR behaviour, the composition of the combustion gases at equilibrium was calculated using a Gibbs energy minimisation code.     

Modelling nitrogen fluxes at the landscape scale

The distribution and impacts of different nitrogen pollutants are inextricably linked. To understand the problem fully, the interactions between the different pollutants need to be taken into account. This is particularly important when it comes to abatement techniques, since measures to reduce emissions of one nitrogen pollutant can often lead to an increase in another. This project represents a step towards greater understanding of these issues by linking together new and existing nitrogen flux models into a larger framework. The modelling framework has been constructed and some of the nitrogen flows between fields, farms and the atmosphere have been modelled for a UK study area for typical farm management scenarios.     

Rapid amino acid cycling in arctic and antarctic soils

Amino acids constitute one of the largest inputs of organic nitrogen (N) to most polar soils and have been hypothesized to be important in regulating vegetational succession and productivity in Arctic ecosystems. Our understanding of amino acid cycling in these soils, however, is poor. The aim of this study was to investigate the size and rate of turnover of the amino acid pool in a range of Arctic and Antarctic soils. Our results indicate that in polar soils with either high or low ornithogenic inputs the amino acid pool is small in comparison to the inorganic N pool (NO^–₃ and NH⁺₄). The free amino acid pool constituted only a small proportion of the total dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) pool in these soils. Here we show that these low concentrations may be due to rapid use by the soil microbial community in both Arctic and Antarctic soils. The turnover of the amino acid pool in soil was extremely rapid, with a half-life ranging from 2 to 24 h, indicating that this N pool can be turned over many hundred times each summer when polar soils are frequently unfrozen. The implications of amino acids in N cycling and plant and microbial nutrition are discussed.     

The Transit of 35SO4 2- and 3H2O Added In Situ to Soil in a Boreal Coniferous Forest

A solution containing ³⁵SO₄ ^2- and ³H₂O was applied to four plots (5 × 5 m) in a boreal coniferous forest in the Laflamme Lake watershed, Québec, under two contrasting conditions: in summer (plots 1 and 2), and on the snowpack before snowmelt (plots 3 and 4). The transit of both these tracers in the soil solution was then followed through a network of soil lysimeters located at different depths. Four months after the summer application, ³H₂O had infiltrated the whole soil profile at plot 1, while ³⁵SO₄ ^2- was only observed in the LFH and Bhf horizons. A ³⁵SO₄ ^2- budget calculated from mid-August to November indicated that 89 and 10.6% of the added ³⁵SO₄ ^2- was retained within the LFH and the Bhf layers, respectively. Fifteen months later, the added ³⁵SO₄ ^2- was distributed in the following proportions within the soil horizons: LFH (73.7%), Bhf (11.8%) and Bf (12.8%), for a total retention rate of 98.3%. The superficial penetration of ³H₂O at plot 2 was indicative of a major lateral water movement that prevented the calculation of a ³⁵SO₄ ^2- budget. This situation also was observed at plot 4 during snowmelt. At plot 3, ³H₂O moved freely through the soil profile and a significant fraction of the added ³⁵SO₄ ^2- reached the B horizons, where it was presumably adsorbed on aluminum (Al) and ferric (Fe) oxides. The ³⁵SO₄ ^2- budget for plot 3 from March to November indicated that 87% of the added ³⁵SO₄ ^2- was retained within the soil profile, with most being retained in the B horizons (LFH = 33.1%, Bhf = 33.1%, Bf = 20.8%). The contrasting retention patterns of ³⁵SO₄ ^2- within the soil profile following the summer addition and snowmelt likely was caused by the contrastingsoil temperatures and soil solution residence times within the differentsoil layers. The persistence of ³⁵SO₄ ^2- in the soil solution of the entire profile long after the initial tracer infiltration, and the relative temporal stability of specific activity of SO₄ ^2-, point to the establishment of an isotopic equilibrium between the added ³⁵SO₄ and the active S-containing reservoirs within a given soil horizon. Overall, the results clearly illustrate the very strong potential for ³⁵SO₄ ^2- retention and recycling in forest soils.